English Place-name Society

Survey of English Place-Names

A county-by-county guide to the linguistic origins of England’s place-names – a project of the English Place-Name Society, founded 1923.

Skip Bridge

Early-attested site in the Parish of Kirk Hammerton

Historical Forms

  • Skete brygg 1430 Testii
  • Skipbrig(lone), Skipbryg(lone) 1550 NCWills 1555 YkCR
  • Skipbridg 1675 Og
  • Skip Bridge 1771 M

Etymology

Skip Bridge, Skete brygg 1430 Test ii, Skipbrig (lone ), Skipbryg (lone )1550 NCWills, 1555 YkCR, Skipbridg 1675 Og, Skip Bridge 1771 M. The earliest spelling rather suggests a late form of ON  skøyti 'winding, twisting'; the bridge carries the Roman road to York over the R. Nidd on the wapentake boundary. Otherwise it is 'sheep bridge' from a Scandinavianised form of OE  (ONb ) scīp (as in Skipton vi, 71infra ), v. brycg .